Calendar

Join us for REGGAE ON THE PATIO every Friday! NO TICKET NEEDED!

Doors: 8:00pm  //  Show: 9:00pm  //  Ages 21+.

Lose Yr Mind & Soul'd Out Presents: Surprise Chef, with special guests: Las Los

Surprise Chef’s music is based on evoking mood; their vivid arrangements utilize time and space to build soundscapes that invite the listener into their world. The quintet’s distinct sound pulls from 70s film scores, the funkier side of jazz, and the samples that form the foundation of hip hop. They push the boundaries of instrumental soul and funk with their own approach honed by countless hours in the studio, studying the masters, and perhaps most importantly, the ‘tyranny of distance’ that dictates a unique perspective to their music.

Hailing from just outside of Melbourne, Australia their first two albums, All News Is Good News and Daylight Savings amassed a die-hard fanbase and brought their sound from their home studio to every corner of the globe. The band is now signed to Big Crown Records, joining a lineage of contemporary and classic sounds that have influenced Surprise Chef’s music since their formation in 2017.

Surprise Chef is Lachlan Stuckey on guitar, Jethro Curtin on keys, Carl Lindeberg on bass, Andrew Congues on drums, and Hudson Whitlock—the latest member who  does it all from percussion to composing to producing. Their self proclaimed "moody shades of instrumental jazz-funk" have a bit of everything: punchy drums, infectious keys, rhythm guitar you might hear on a Studio One record, and flute lines that could be from a Blue Note session. But when you step back and take in the entirety of their sound and approach, you'll hear and see a group greater than the sum of its parts.

In many ways Surprise Chef embodies the idiom "the benefits of limits." They were limited in that there weren't many people making or talking about instrumental  azz/soul/funk in Southeast Australia, let alone putting out records. This left them to develop their sound and approach in a kind of creative isolation where a small circle of friends and like-minded musicians fed off each other. "Being in Australia, being so far away, we only get glimpses and glances of this music’s origins," Stuckey says. "But hearing a label like Big Crown was one of the first times we realized you could make fresh, new soul music that wasn't super retro or just nostalgic."

Las Los: 

Join us for REGGAE ON THE PATIO every Friday! NO TICKET NEEDED!

Deep in the heart of Portland’s Old Town lurks an Halloween party that knows now bounds! Is the historic Star Theater home to a brood of blood-sucking fiends? Do werewolves live among us? Who actually is the ghost with the most? Will there be a satanic recruitment station? Find out the answers and more at Monstro Menagerie, 5pm, on October 16th, at the Star Theater. 

Monstro Menagerie is a dreadfully frightful drag show presented to you by Dean Hunter the creator of Portland longest running goth night, Church of Hive, and hosted by “Portland’s favorite Manpyre,” Bobby Lugosi! The Menagerie’s stage show is a fang-tastic showcase of some of Portland’s finest Drag Monsters. 

Guest are encouraged to dress up! There will be a costume contest at intermission with PRIZES!

Featuring performances by::

Mr. Eee 

Phallus Johnson 

Asia Consent 

Owen Alimony  

Rob da Builder

Craven Valentine 

Anne D. Rogynous 

Sue From Corporate 

Terrifying tunes by DJ Aurora 

And

The singing and dancing vampire brides of Hell House and their haunted house guest!

But wait… it’s a DOUBLE FEATURE!!!

Stick around for a Church of Hive dance party!

Doors: 7:00pm  //  Show: 8:00pm  //  Ages 21+.

On the heels of his fifth EP as Rexx Life Raj, Faraji Wright was ready to lighten things up a bit.He’d cultivated a fanbase by fusing introspective personal and political commentary withsunbaked Bay Area grooves, and never had that mission felt more realized than on CaliforniaPoppy 2, a project that confronted the realities of the Black American experience with incisivepragmatism and some of his biggest hooks to date. But “putting the candy in the medicine,” as he puts it, can be emotionally taxing, and the former D1 football player-turned-rapper hadreached a point in his career where he was ready to pivot from immensely personal material to straight bangers that could shake a festival’s grounds.

None of those ambitions would have been possible if it hadn’t been for his mother, the woman who instilled his love of music to begin with through her days singing in the church choir. When she was diagnosed with stage four brain cancer in summer 2020, Raj’s whole world tilted off its axis. He’d moved in with his parents at the start of the pandemic in an effort to help her watch after his father, whose routine dialysis appointments and diabetic complications required constant attention. Now tasked with stepping into the role of caretaker for the both of them, and faced with the harrowing obligation of not leaving anything unsaid, Raj was forced to put the music on the backburner and spend every minute he could with his parents.

Near the end of her journey, his mother encouraged him to pick the pen back up, telling him that “no matter what happens, beautiful music will come from this.” With her blessing in tow, Raj began to work on his fifth studio LP, The Blue Hour. As opposed to previous Rexx Life Raj records, many of which arose from convivial full-band studio sessions, Raj wrote the bulk of the album from the solitude of his parents’ home in Vallejo. Grief doesn’t always start at death, and the path it leaves is often messy. Raj’s lyrics began to reflect the nonlinearity of his experience, the songs housing painful sentiments that he needed to give voice to in order to heal. It soon became clear that these would not be the songs that he wanted to make, they’re the songs he had to make.

Doors: 7:00pm  //  Show: 8:00pm  //  Ages 21+
Soul'd Out Presents:  Lyrics Born  with special guests TBA
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Lyrics Born relocated to the United States from his birthplace of Toyko, Japan right around the time Hip Hop was exploding on the East Coast.rom the moment he heard Sugar Hill Gang’s 1980 classic “Rapper’s Delight,” the Bay Area Hip Hop luminary knew he’d found his calling.

Twenty-five years later, LB has obliterated the stereotypes of what an MC is “supposed to” look like and captured the hearts of countless fans who gravitate to his distinctive voice. He’s now the only

Asian-American MC to release 10 studios albums and the first to play major music festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza.

From his Quannum Recordings debut with Latyrx,1997’s The Album, to 2003’s seminal solo album Later That Day, he’s consistently pushed the boundaries of his craft. His newest project, Quite A Life, is like the exclamation point on his milestone year.

“Ten albums is a lot for any artist, let alone an indie artist who colored outside the lines, so to speak,” LB says. “I'm just appreciative there was always somehow a path for me, no matter how impossible it seemed — either on paper or in practice.”

As the first Asian-American to release a greatest hits compilation, he’s pumped out multiple smash singles across four official studio albums. From “Stop Complaining” to “Callin’ Out” and “I Like It, I Love It” and “I Changed My Mind,” his material has always retained a musically eclectic feel.

The self-proclaimed “funkiest rapper alive” carries on his tradition of weaving funk and soul into classic, boom-bap Hip Hop on Quite A Life. Without the influence of icons like James Brown, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Zapp and Rogers, LB admits he wouldn’t be who he is today. Coupled with his love of rap pioneers such as KRS-One, Rakim and Snoop Dogg, LB’s music is the perfect Hip Hop and funk-flavored Gumbo.

For live shows, LB often recruits a full band to “keep it all the way funky” for his audience. Coupled with wife/singer Joyo Velarde’s powerful voice, the unrelenting energy of his performances electrify every Crowd.

Since establishing himself among the upper echelon of indie Hip Hop artists, LB has expanded his empire into film. This year, he has roles in Boots Riley’s critically acclaimed film Sorry To Bother You and the Netflix movie Always Be My Maybe starring comedian Ali Wong and Keanu Reeves.

“I'm funny, or so I’m told [laughs],” LB says.“I absolutely love comedy and being ridiculous. These past couple films have been an incredible experience. I'm especially proud to be a part of films that challenge norms and it doesn't hurt to work with your friends either.

“I really love comedic acting. As an artist, it's like another color on my palette. I will be doing more advocating for the underserved in the arts as well, particular for Asian Americans and other people of color. The world needs the same diversity in the arts as we do in real life.”

DOORS: 8:00pm  //  SHOW: 9:00pm  //  AGES 21+.
SPELLING with SPACEMOTH

SPELLLING:
Red velvet curtains draw back to reveal a cosmic wheel of fortune, floating in the deep black star-studded theater of infinite space. A whirl of timbres, personalities, and stories. The Turning Wheel, the third full-length by the Bay Area artist SPELLLING (Chrystia Cabral), revolves around themes of human unity, the future, divine love and the enigmatic ups and downs of being a part of this carnival called life.

Venturing to push the boundaries of her primarily synth-based work, SPELLLING took on the ambitious task of orchestrating and self-producing an album that features an ensemble of 31 collaborating musicians. The Turning Wheel incorporates a vast range of rich acoustic sounds that cast SPELLLING’s work into vibrant new dimensions. The double LP is split into two halves — “Above” and “Below.” Lush string quartet shimmer combines with haunting banjo and wandering bassoon leads, as the album progresses from the more jubilant, warm, and dreamy mood of the “Above” tracks to the more chilling and gothic tone of the “Below” tracks. This progression is anchored by SPELLLING’s familiar bewitching vocal style that emphasizes the theatrical and folkloric heart of her songwriting.

The release of The Turning Wheel was delayed by almost a year from its intended release date in September 2020 but the forced pause ended up serving as a blessing in disguise. Navigating the chaos of recording and producing the remaining instrumentalists – either remotely or through rigid socially distanced studio sessions – was immensely difficult, however the delays ultimately opened up the opportunity for SPELLLING to dedicate more attention to her lyrics. The Turning Wheel demonstrates a distinct evolution of lyrical style, from the more incantatory and abbreviated approach of her previous work to a more expansive, narrative production.

The Turning Wheel is a manifestation of this considerable effort, time, and collaborative energy and will surely become a classic for its elegance. And while the artist’s eclectic influences, from soul to psych to pop to noise, remain present, something entirely new has also been born in the cosmic soup of this massive undertaking: a grand and genreless adventure. One that allows the artist’s authenticity to shine and also marks her as a conduit for something with a magic of its own.

SPACEMOTH: https://www.spacemoth.space/  

Doors: 7:00pm  //  Show: 8:00pm  //  Ages 21+.

One of Africa’s most popular and recognized musicians, Habib Koité is a modern troubadour with extraordinary appeal because Koité’s musicianship, wit and wisdom translate across cultures. Hailing from the musically prolific West African nation of Mali, the guitarist and composer has been named the biggest pop star of the region by Rolling Stone. Over the past decade, his artistry and magnetic personality have made him an international star, delighting audiences the world over, and placing him firmly among the leading figures in contemporary world music. Bonnie Raitt proclaims, “first there was Hendrix, then Stevie Ray, and now Habib.”

Habib’s much-anticipated new release, Kharifa, was recorded entirely in Bamako. The sound of Mali, its rich and diversified musical traditions, and its instruments permeate the music of this superb project. It can be said that the Malian guitarist has matured, evolved, while once again successfully keeping one foot firmly anchored in the past. The original compositions and covers that form the backbone of this new album reflect the griot’s open spirit, his willingness to travel through the rich Malian heritage while building the foundations of a resolutely modern music, also influenced by Western rock and folk.

Often compared to Eric Clapton, the Malian reveals himself to be closer to a JJ Cale, in his manner of occupying space with the guitar, playing the note rather than notes, allowing arpeggios to flow through the percussion, caressing while directing with true virtuosity, the rhythmic breath of each track on the album.

Habib Koité takes his time.

This shows in his interest and involvement in everyday life in Bamako. Without ever denying the problems that plague his city and country – pollution, poverty, idleness, insalubrity, disease – Habib remains resolutely optimistic, hopeful, fighting against intolerance, ignorance and obscurantism. While Mandé talks about reconciliation, Kharifa calls for accountability of each individual. “Life is a daily struggle” he sings.

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the Duckwrth show scheduled for TUE SEPT 20 has been rescheduled for WED NOV 9. Your tickets for Sept 20 will be honored on NOV 9, and simply hold on to them.  We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to seeing you soon.

Adam Greene of the Moldy Peaches @ Star Theater. 
Doors: 8:00pm  //  Show: 9:00pm  //  Ages 21+ // Standing Room Only. 

Doors: 8:00pm  //  Show: 9:00pm  //  Ages 21+  //  Standing Room Only.

Recorded at several studios (Portico, Chase Park, Rialto Row, Dialback Sound), the LP is a snarling devil-may-care batch of 12 tunes. It encompasses a seamless blend of hard rock, psychedelic alt-country and folk stylings — something signature to the unique sound, tone and attitude of the Futurebirds.

“We recorded this album all over the place,” says guitarist/singer Thomas Johnson. “In a lot of ways it kept us from bogging down, at times it was probably inefficient, but ultimately everyone of the songs captures the vibe(s) of the spaces and cities we occupied while we made it.

‘I’m Killin You’ really captures the vibe of the whole record for me. The main theme I had in my head while writing it though, was getting past the negative shit that can live on the periphery (or in the forefront) of life. Killing the bad side of human nature. Being self-aware, and being honest with yourself and trying to find peace with the person you’ve become or are becoming (or always were).”

“We’ve been putting one foot in front of the other for a decade now. Every tour, we get smarter about how we operate, how we craft a live show, how we utilize everyone’s individual talents,” guitarist/singer Carter King adds. “Every day, we become better songwriters, more comfortable as artists and producers, better business people — it’s all about teamwork.”

Now on the backside of a decade of road warrior hard-knocks and well-earned accolades, the Athens, GA rock sextet has been hitting its full stride as of late. It’s a sense of time and place where what’s most important remains at the forefront of the group’s philosophy and deeply-held personal mission — a group of friends making sonically innovative music.

“We have one of the oddest and most talented mix of people to make up a band that I’ve ever seen. Everyone is extremely talented in an assortment of different ways, hilarious, tough, creative, scrappy,” King says. “Stylistically, everyone brings something different to the band, and we’re getting better at simultaneously nurturing those differences, melding them together into one unified thing.”

With a touring schedule resembling some haphazard spider web spun across America, the Futurebirds are unrelenting in their quest to bring the melodic party to your hometown, no matter how far away the destination or how small the stage may be.

“And we’ve learned a lot about life along the way,” guitarist/singer Daniel Womack reflects. “Watching other bands rise and fall, watching the sunrise and the sunset, cried because it hurt, cried because it felt good, watching strangers turn into friends and some into family.”

“In a lot of ways the live show is the last frontier, the last thing left in the music industry that can’t be digitized and given away for free,” Johnson adds. “It’s the thing that keeps us coming back. The act of making something awesome and unique with six individuals, creating a sound-weave, connecting to the core of human existence, that’s the teamwork.”

Doors: 7:00pm //  Show: 8:00pm  //  Ages 21+.

Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers will make a sprightly young groove doctor out of anyone. With spectacular energy pulsating from every member of the band, the Rainbow Seekers could illuminate the very chambers of Heaven. Lead singer Joe Hertler splashes through lyrical puddles of golden rain, leaving his audience wearing flowery crowns and bubbling smiles. A ride on the Rainbow will take you across the mountains of Motown, through the fjords of folk, over the archipelagos of Americana, and-at last-into a funky firth, where only the fiercest of friendships can be found.

The Rainbow Seekers began their historic quest 8 years ago, revolving around the pure, unadulterated songwriting of their fearless leader, Joe Hertler. Ryan Hoger was the first among the Seekers to find this lonely songsmith and recognize the twinkling magic in his beard.  The young boy gave up all his earthly possessions (besides his guitar, of course) and became the first disciple of the Rainbow. With this, the core of the Rainbow was thereby established, and it didn’t take long for the Rainbow Seekers to continue their expansion. Multi-instrumentalist and notable auxiliary percussion maestro Micah Bracken journeyed from the bowels of Atlantis when he heard tell of the Rainbow, and the earth trembled as saxophonist and all-around badass Aaron Stinson descended from Olympus on a golden rainbow of his own. Then came thunder from the depths of space and as it picked up the bass, a soft exhale escaped the lips of every princess within a hundred moons, “Bambis,” they cooed. All the while, on the other ends of the earth, a young boy was hard at work, honing and sharpening his sticks for the day that the Rainbow would come his way, and when it landed at his door, Ryan McMahon climbed aboard. 

Since the early days, their quest has brought them across the nation and upon such noble gatherings as Bonnaroo, Electric Forest, and Summer Camp. As you'll know if you've seen the band, seeking the proverbial Rainbow is all about the live performance. "The live show is the purpose of the band. This is why we make music. Playing music is a symbiotic process, the crowd is as much a part of it as the musicians. We give as much energy and love as we can and we can feel that coming from the crowd as well" says Hertler. "We believe that performance is not a High Art operation, and that you should do anything you can to ensure that the crowd is having a good time. From piñatas to confetti, to fog, to flowers, to drum solos, to strobe lights, to Thor, to sword battles-literally anything goes.” 

If you're still reading this, at least one thing is true: The Rainbow Seekers have been waiting for you. If you'll only let them, they will shake the dust from your wildest expectations. They will roar into your life with rapturous frequencies, exuberant tone, and a joyfulness of purpose that has truly become a rare sight on stage. Join them in their celebration, and they will take you on a never-ending journey to a place you'll never be able to describe in words.

Somewhere between the charisma of Frank Sinatra, the empathetic tone of Bob Marley, and the smooth and sultry vocal runs of Lauryn Hill, lives the warm and kind voice of Sammy Johnson. An Australian native, Sammy Johnson embraces his Maori and Polynesian roots to create positive and uplifting music. Blending together island reggae, soul and jazz vibes with heartfelt lyrics, Sammy's sound is exhilarating and intoxicating.  

Sammy Johnson has been waving the flag for the Pacific Island sound, and has quickly become a leader of the scene alongside new school artists like J Boog and veterans like Katchafire. Sammy Johnson got his big break via Youtube after his video for "Don't Say Goodbye" became a viral sensation, racking up over 10,000,000 plays. Not too long after, a Hawaiian-based producer contacted Sammy and offered him a record deal with Island Empire Records, home to groups like Common Kings, Tenelle, and Fiji.

Sammy has toured extensively on his own and with genre-leading artists like The Wailers and Common Kings. He continues to hone his live show with international tours and impressive festival slots, bringing his enlightening music to a live audience of anticipatory fans and new fans alike.

Doors: 8:00pm  //  Show: 9:00pm  //  Standing Room Only  //  Ages 21+.
The Murlocs with Shannon Lay.

The Murlocs
With their lineup including two members of the globally beloved King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard (Kenny-Smith and Craig), The Murlocs recorded at Button Pushers Studio in Melbourne with producer Tim Dunn, dreaming up a prismatic sound that pinballs from sunshine-pop to blues-punk to wide-eyed psychedelia. Naming John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Harry Nilsson’s Lennon-produced Pussy Cats among their key reference points, the band adorned their songs with many unexpected details: woozy Wurlitzer melodies, Brian May-esque guitar harmonies, playful atmospheric elements like the whoosh of summer rain, caught by a microphone dragged into the street mid-storm. The result is an album both exuberant and heavy-hearted, a dynamic that wholly fulfills Kenny-Smith’s mission of “always aspiring to write songs that have a bit of twisted positivity to them.”

A lifelong musician, Kenny-Smith makes for a masterful narrator, endlessly revealing his gift for inhabiting the inner worlds of others. On the album-opening “Francesca,” he turns the lens to his mother and sweetly celebrates her joie de vivre, gently alluding to past struggles with depression. “‘Francesca’ is my mother’s middle name,” Kenny-Smith explains. “She has such an energetic aura of love that comes with compelling conviction. Her larger-than-life personality and attitude revolves around a sometimes-unworldly way of living in the moment.” Sparked from a demo brought in by Karmouche, “Francesca” kicks off with the rev of a car engine and roar of harmonica, supplying a shot of pure joy that fully captures the sensation of “driving down the coast with the convertible roof down” (as Kenny-Smith describes the song’s inciting image).

Now in their tenth year as a band, The Murlocs formed as teenagers on Victoria’s Surf Coast, first covering Ray Charles and Creedence Clearwater Revival songs and quickly moving on to writing their own material. After cutting their teeth playing a local pub called the National Hotel—“We’d get up and smash at a few chords, just to have fun and see what happened,” Kenny-Smith recalls—the band made their debut with a self-titled EP in 2012, then released their debut album Loopholes in 2014. Through the years they’ve taken the stage at major festivals like Splendour In The Grass and supported such acts as Pixies, Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks, Ty Segall, and Thee Oh Sees, all while moonlighting in a number of other bands (Karmouche is the frontman for Crepes, Blach is the frontman for Beans, and Shortal plays guitar in ORB). “Everyone’s always busy, but Murlocs is definitely its own beast,” says Kenny-Smith. “We’re all great friends, and the band is a perfect excuse to hang out and make music together.”

Shannon Lay : https://www.shannonlay.com/ 

Garcia Birthday Band, based in Portland Oregon, isn’t your mother’s Grateful Dead cover band. Playing for over 20 years, GBB has evolved into something far deeper than the sum of its parts. The beating heart of the Pacific Northwest’s GD community, the band’s ever-expanding fanbase is an experience unto themselves. Using the Dead’s repertoire as a springboard for limitless potential and improvisation, Garcia Birthday Band are a cornerstone of the modern Grateful Dead universe, and their fans have come to expect the unexpected as the norm.